USCIS updated Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, by removing receipt of a means-tested benefit to establish eligibility.
Individuals may still request a fee waiver if their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or they demonstrate financial hardship.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has revised Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, by removing the means-tested benefit criteria that was previously used as a factor in determining whether an applicant was exempt from paying for filing fees or biometric services. Individuals may still request a fee waiver if their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or they demonstrate financial hardship.
A means-tested benefit is a public benefit—offered by federal, state, or local agencies—for which eligibility and amount considerations are based on a person’s income and resources. USCIS formerly considered Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Supplemental Security Income during eligibility evaluations.
USCIS has determined that receiving a means-based benefit is not an appropriate criteria in reviewing fee-waiver requests because income levels used to decide local assistance eligibility vary greatly from state to state.
“USCIS relies on fees to cover the costs of adjudicating applications and petitions, implementing operational efforts, and ensuring the nation’s lawful immigration system is properly administered,” said USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “USCIS waives hundreds of millions of dollars in fees annually. The revised fee waiver process will improve the integrity of the program and the quality and consistency of fee waiver approvals going forward. Providing clear direction to agency adjudicators for more uniform determinations will help us to uphold our mission of efficiently and fairly adjudicating immigration requests.”
USCIS has estimated that the annual dollar amount of fee waivers increased from around $344.3 million in fiscal year 2016 to $367.9 million in FY 2017. In FY 2018, the estimated annual dollar amount of fee waivers USCIS granted was $293.5 million. Fee revenues account for more than 95% of the USCIS budget.
Under the revised criteria, individuals may still request a fee waiver if:
Their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; or
They demonstrate financial hardship.
However, USCIS will require applicants to complete Form I-912 and submit supporting documentation, including federal income tax transcripts. USCIS will not accept a letter stating the applicant is unable to afford filing fees or biometric services without a completed Form I-912.
As of Dec. 2, those seeking a fee waiver must submit the 10/24/19 version of this form to request a waiver of a required fee for immigration benefits. After Dec. 2, USCIS will reject any Form I-912 with an edition date of 03/13/18 or earlier, a fee waiver request submitted with a letter, or documentation of receipt of means-tested benefit to show eligibility for a fee waiver. USCIS will adjudicate any fee waiver request postmarked before Dec. 2 under the previous policy, AFM 10.9, Waiver of Fees.
The new form does not change the applications and petitions that are eligible for a fee waiver. For the list of eligible applications and petitions, see the Form I-912 Instructions. In addition, USCIS has updated policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to accompany this form revision. The updated policy guidance is effective on Dec. 2.
For more information on USCIS and our programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), Instagram (/uscis), YouTube (/uscis), Facebook (/uscis), and LinkedIn (/uscis).
Tani talks about her Citizenship interview from 3:34 to 13:34. Plus she goes out with her family for celebration breakfast. Later in the video she goes to a Halloween party. Congrats Tani!
In international diplomacy, sports can sometimes act to bridge bitter divides between longstanding rivals. A similar unifying force could be at work, at least temporarily, in America's politically-polarized capital city. VOA’s Brian Padden reports, Democrats and Republicans are coming together to support the Washington Nationals baseball team playing in Major League Baseball's World Series.
POP QUIZ
USCIS 100:45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?* USCIS 100:94. What is the capital of the United States?*
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USCIS 100:17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?* USCIS 100:21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members? USCIS 100:22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? USCIS 100:23. Name your U.S. Representative. USCIS 100:25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states? USCIS 100:47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
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CATESOL19: Tech Up for the Census, Civics, & Citizenship Class bit.ly/uscit-catesol CCAE2019: EdTech for EL Civics and Citizenship bit.ly/ccae19-edtech Participants will identify the critical resources in the form of mobile apps, podcasts, etc with Civics and language enrichment activities to implement learning strategies appropriate for mixed-status ESL, Citizenship, or Distance Learning environments.
VOANews: How (historically) presidential are the candidates?
The Democratic candidates running for president have a range of experiences, with some serving in high-profile elected positions, such as vice president, state governor or a U.S. Congress member, while others have held smaller elected roles, such as a city mayor . . . Here's how the candidates’ experiences stack up against each other as well as with U.S. presidents throughout history. (read more)
VOANews: A Guide to the Democratic Presidential Candidates
The next U.S. presidential election is not until November 2020, but there is already a large field of Democrats eager to contend for their party’s presidential nomination next year. Here is a list of those who have formally entered the race for the White House.
VOANews: Immigration
The Democrats running for the party’s nomination in the 2020 presidential election tend to agree on some immigration issues, such as allowing a path to citizenship, while differing over others, such as what benefits migrants should receive upon entering the country.
VOANews: Climate change
Climate change, usually not at the forefront of election issues, has taken a larger footprint in the 2020 election cycle. The Democrats have stated policy positions from reducing the effects of climate change to calling it a geopolitical threat to the country.
VOANews: Impeachment
The issue of whether or not to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump has split Democrats, with some calling for the House of Representatives to take up the matter immediately; while others urge more caution or argue that the best way to remove Trump from office is at the ballot box.
VOANews: A Guide to the Republican Presidential Candidates
Three Republicans have taken the unusual step of challenging a sitting president from their own party. Here is a list of those who have formally entered the race.
People in America profiles Jim Warlick, a former Congressional aide who owns both a political memorabilia shop and an ice cream parlor in Washington. He describes how one small presidential campaign token changed the course of his life over 40 years ago.
USCIS 100:15. Who is in charge of the executive branch? USCIS 100:26. We elect a President for how many years? USCIS 100:27. In what month do we vote for President?* USCIS 100:30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? USCIS 100:33. Who signs bills to become laws? USCIS 100:34. Who vetoes bills? USCIS 100:54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?* USCIS 100:70. Who was the first President?* USCIS 100:80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? USCIS 100:94. What is the capital of the United States?*
